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These scopes provide the best performance but may require more skill to master and appreciate. They have exceptionally fine optics and mechanics. Some are easy to use but are but on the large or heavy side. Some are intended for specialized uses. These scopes will appeal to the more technically inclined. Referring to the manual is highly recommended.

If your interest in amateur astronomy includes both observing and astrophotography, you need a telescope that's up to the task - like the Orion Atlas 8 EQ-G GoTo Reflector Telescope. It's an 8" aperture reflector with precision parabolic mirror optics with a precise heavy-duty GoTo equatorial mount, perfect for both visual and photographic forays into deep space.

The reflector telescope is built around its 203mm (8") diameter parabolic primary mirror which has a focal length of 1000mm (f/4.9) and is center-marked for easier, more accurate collimation. The versatile combination of 8" aperture and 1000mm focal length is excellent for visually studying a wide variety of celestial objects, from relatively nearby planets to distant galaxies, and the f/4.9 focal ratio is plenty fast for deep-space CCD (charge coupled device) astrophotography. The included Orion Atlas EQ-G GoTo equatorial telescope mount has backlash compensation in both axes and programmable periodic error correction (PEC), which provides the precision required for astrophotographic guiding, performed either manually or with an autoguider via the ST-4 autoguider port, which is conveniently built right into the mount's drive panel.

Speaking of the mount, the brawny Orion Atlas EQ-G GoTo mount and tripod provides incredibly stable support, thanks to its solid construction and 2"-diameter stainless steel legs, which adjust in height for optimally comfortable use. Internal DC stepper motors offer nine slew rates ranging from 2x to 800x sidereal, and three tracking rates: sidereal, lunar, and solar. You'll find it easy and fun slewing from one object to the next at a clip of up to 3.4° per second.

With the GoTo Atlas EQ-G telescope mount, you can visit any of over 42,000 celestial objects with pushbutton ease. The hand controller has a two-line, backlit LCD screen and a red-illuminated keypad. Navigating the menu buttons is nicely intuitive and takes little time to master. The thorough computerized database includes the complete Messier, NGC, and IC catalogs of clusters, nebulas, and galaxies; eight planets; 100 named stars; and 25 user-defined objects you select yourself!

You get a host of great accessories with the Orion Atlas 8 EQ-G GoTo Reflector Telescope. An 8x40 achromatic finder scope lets you find objects to explore and aim the telescope precisely. A high-quality 1.25" 25mm Sirius Plossl telescope eyepiece is included for visual use of the telescope right out of the box. The 25mm telescope eyepiece yields 40x power magnification through the Atlas 8, which is ideal for general scanning of the heavens. The Orion Atlas 8 EQ-G GoTo Reflector Telescope tube assembly features a deluxe 2" Crayford-style focuser with a 1.25" adapter, allowing use of either 2" or 1.25" eyepieces as well as other accessories. Large knurled collimation knobs on the high-ventilation rear cell and a center mark on the primary mirror itself make optical alignment, also called collimation, easy and precise. We even include a simple collimation cap to help you align your telescope?s optics.

The Atlas EQ-G mount requires an external 12-volt DC power supply or an AC-to-DC adapter to run off of household 110-volt AC, all sold separately.

Get the powerful and versatile Orion Atlas 8 EQ-G GoTo Reflector Telescope today and discover new worlds of astronomical and astrophotographic adventure!

Warranty

Limited Warranty against defects in materials or workmanship for one year from date of purchase. This warranty is for the benefit of the original retail purchaser only. For complete warranty details contact us at 800-676-1343.

Warning

Please note this product was not designed or intended by the manufacturer for use by a child 12 years of age or younger.

User level

Level 1 Beginner - Suited for a wide range of uses, these telescopes are simple to operate and set up. Some initial assembly may be required. Very good optical and mechanical quality. Great for families, young people, and folks who don't want to mess with equipment but just want to take a look. Any of these scopes will show you countless lunar craters, Saturn's rings and a myriad of star clusters and nebulas! Referring to the manual is recommended.

Level 2 Intermediate - These scopes offer higher performance and more advanced features than Level 1: Beginner models. They typically take a bit longer to learn and need some set-up or adjustments. But anyone with the slightest technical bent will have no problem getting familiar with these models. Referring to the manual is recommended.

Level 3 Advanced - These scopes provide the best performance but may require more skill to master and appreciate. They have exceptionally fine optics and mechanics. Some are easy to use but are but on the large or heavy side. Some are intended for specialized uses. These scopes will appeal to the more technically inclined. Referring to the manual is highly recommended.

Level 4 Expert - Expert telescopes offer uncompromising optical and mechanical quality for the most demanding amateur astronomer. They may be technically involved or designed for specialized use, such as astrophotography or detailed deep sky observation. They carry a premium price, but are designed to provide the ultimate performance in the field. Referring to the manual is highly recommended.

Optical design

Reflector telescopes use a pair of large and small mirrors to direct incoming light to the eyepiece.
Refractor telescopes refract, or "bend" incoming light to a focus by means of an objective lens.
Cassegrain telescopes, such as Maksutov-Cassegrains, "fold" incoming light using two mirrors and a front "corrector" lens.

Optical diameter

The optical diameter (also known as aperture), is the size of the telescope's main light collecting lens or mirror, measured in millimeters or inches. As the diameter increases, more light is collected and the resolution increases.

Focal length

The distance from the center of a curved mirror or lens at which parallel light rays converge to a single point. The focal length is an inherent specification of a mirror or lens and is one of the factors in determining resultant magnification for a telescope (along with the focal length of the eyepiece being used).

Focal ratio

The focal ratio of an optical system is the ratio of a telescope's focal length to its aperture. Short focal ratios (f/5, f/4.5) produce wide fields of view and small image scales, while long focal lengths produce narrower fields of views and larger image scales.

Optics type

Newtonian reflectors will have either a spherical shaped mirror, which is less expensive to produce, or a higher quality parabola, which does not result in spherical aberration. Cassegrain telescopes routinely use spheres in addition to other lenses in the optical path to correct for residual spherical aberration.
Refractors use a series of lenses to provide a clear image. Designs range from a standard air-spaced doublet (two lenses in a row) to exotic designs such as oil-spaced triplets and 4-element multi group lenses.

Glass material

Refractors use glass lenses to focus the light, and the glass material plays an important role in the quality of the resulting image. Standard achromatic refractors routinely use Crown and Flint for the two elements, but more expensive apochromatic refractors can use ED (extra low dispersion) glass for one or more of the lenses. Reflector mirrors are made from glass with different levels of thermal expansion. Standard mirrors are made from material such as Soda-Lime Plate glass and BK-7 glass. Glass with Pyrex or other low thermal expansion material will not change shape as dramatically during the cool-down period, resulting in more stable images during this period.

Resolving power

The theoretical resolving power of a telescope can be calculated with the following formula: Resolving power (in arc seconds) = 4.56 divided by aperture of telescope (in inches). In metric units, this is: Resolving power (in arc seconds) = 116 divided by aperture of telescope (in millimeters). Note that the formula is independent of the telescope type or model, and is based only upon the aperture of the telescope. So the larger the telescope's aperture, the more it is capable of resolving. This is important to keep in mind when observing astronomical objects which require high resolution for best viewing, such as planets and double stars. However, it is usually atmospheric seeing conditions (not the telescope) which limits the actual resolving power on a given night; rarely is resolution less than one arc-second possible from even the best viewing locations on Earth.

Lowest useful magnification

Lowest useful magnification is the power at which the exit pupil becomes 7mm in diameter. Powers below this can still be reached with the telescope to give wider fields of view, but the image no longer becomes brighter at a lower power. This is due to the fact that the exit pupil of the telescope (the beam of light exiting the eyepiece) is now larger than the average person's dark adapted pupil, and no more light can fit into the eye.

Highest useful magnification

The highest practical limit is different from the often used "highest theoretical magnification" specification. The "theoretical" limit generally is 50x the aperture of the scope in inches (2x the aperture in mm). So for example, an 80mm refractor is capable of 160x, and a 10" telescope is theoretically capable of 500x magnification.
But after approximately 300x, theory breaks down and real world problems take over. The atmosphere above us is constantly in motion, and it will distort the image seen through the telescope. This effect may not be noticeable at lower powers, but at higher powers the atmosphere will dramatically blur the object, reducing the quality of the image. On a good night (a night where the air above is steady and the stars aren't twinkling), the practical upper limit of a large telescope is 300x, even thought the theoretical limit may be much higher. This doesn't mean the scope will never be able to reach those higher "theoretical" powers - there will be that rare night where the atmosphere is perfectly still and the scope can be pushed past it's practical limit, but those nights will be few and far between.

Astro-imaging capability

The astro-photographic capability of the telescope is based on the style, stability, and accuracy of the mount and tripod. Telescopes on either very lightweight mounts or non tracking mounts (such as Dobsonians) are capable of only very short exposures such as lunar photographs. If a motor drive is attached to an equatorial mount, even a small lightweight mount is capable of capturing some planetary detail. Larger EQ mounts that utilize very precise tracking and excellent stability are capable of longer exposure deep-sky photography.

Dovetail bar system

A universal attachment system for holding the optical tube onto the tripod. A dovetail bar is attached to the tube rings, then it slides onto the mount itself, making for quick assembly and disassembly.

Computerized compatibility

Some mounts are compatible with a motorized Go-To system for fully automated computer finding of objects in the night sky. Others mounts are compatible with computer finding systems which require the user to manually move the mount to the object's position as indicated by the computer finder.

PEC

Periodic errors are inherent in almost all worm gears due to slight eccentricities and misalignments. PEC (Periodic Error Correction) training function provides a manual correcting method to reduce the amplitude of the worm gear errors. By recording a full cycle of guiding actions, the mount can compensate for drifting in the R.A. sidereal tracking caused by periodic errors. The PEC training function is recommended for advanced users with interest in long-exposure astrophotography only. Standard sidereal tracking is sufficient for all casual visual applications, and PEC training is not required. Also, PEC is typically not used in conjunction with an autoguider.

GPS

A GPS module automatically sets the date and exact time and location for the mount, relieving the user from the need to look up coordinates on a map or manually enter perfect time. This can be very beneficial when traveling with the scope as locations can quickly be automatically entered into the hand control.

Height range of mount

The height range specification is a measure of the tripod itself - not the eyepiece height. Since telescopes come in all shapes and sizes, the eyepiece height will vary, even when using the same tripod. For an EQ tripod the mount is set up so the counterweight shaft is horizontal, and then the height is measured from the ground to the center of the mounting plate.

Warranty

This warranty gives you specific legal rights. It is not intended to remove or restrict your other legal rights under applicable local consumer law; your state or national statutory consumer rights governing the sale of consumer goods remain fully applicable.

Orders received by 1pm Eastern Time for in-stock items ship the same business day. Orders received after 1pm will ship the next business day. When an item is not in-stock we will ship it as soon as it becomes available. Typically in-stock items will ship first and backordered items will follow as soon as they are available. You have the option in check out to request that your order ship complete, if you'd prefer.

A per-item shipping charge (in addition to the standard shipping and handling charge) applies to this product due to its size and weight. This charge varies based on the shipping method.

A great telescope for the advanced observer or astrophotographer, the Orion Atlas 10 EQ-G GoTo is good for viewing faint details or taking pictures of most celestial objects. The GoTo mount can locate over 42,000 objects and track them automatically.

Orion offers a rugged, fully padded case to fit just about every telescope we stock. An easy way to transport and store your telescope. Heavy-duty and water-resistant, and fits the Atlas 8 EQ-G Reflector, SkyView Pro 8 and Sirius 8.

Made of rugged, yet lightweight powder coated aluminum, this large, 14.5" diameter tray has holes for nine 1.25" and six 2" telescope eyepieces and Barlow lenses, as well as three slots for the GoTo hand controller arrayed around the tray.

Control your GoTo telescope wirelessly from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with the StarSeek Wi-Fi Telescope Control Module, Serial/USB. It works with Orion motor-driven GoTo telescopes and many other brands, including USB port-equipped models.

Would you like more contrast and less glare while viewing the moon and bright planets? The 1.25" Orion Variable Polarizing Telescope Filter reduces both and brings out details. And you can adjust the amount of light transmission for the perfect view.

A complete assortment of accessories for your telescope, the Orion Premium Telescope Accessory Kit comes with five Sirius eyepieces, a Shorty Barlow, and six filters for lunar and planetary observing, and a case. Everything you need, all in one kit!

This Orion Solar Filter fits Orion 8" Dobsonians, allowing you to safely observe or image the sun. The glass filter is better than mylar because it improves contrast (more natural yellow-orange color rather than blue) and is more durable.

Speed up the cooling of your large reflector's optics with the Orion Cooling Accelerator Fan. This fan attaches to pretapped holes in the mirror cell and uses 8 D-cell batteries (not included) which allows it to run for up to 14 hours continuously.

Overall, the Atlas 8-inch Go-To telescope is a good system with fantastic optics. It?s also a versatile telescope that?s suitable for both visual use and astro imaging and would make a fine addition to anyone?s stable of instruments.

At Orion, we are committed to sharing our knowledge and passion for astronomy and astrophotography with the amateur astronomy community. Visit the Orion Community Center for in-depth information on telescopes, binoculars, and astrophotography. You can find astrophotography "how to" tips and share your best astronomy pictures here. Submit astronomy articles, events, and reviews, and even become a featured Orion customer!